Biography

Jonathan Phillips (born December 2nd, 1987) in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is a New Zealand based musician known for his solo career under the moniker Mount Pleasant. As a solo musician, Phillips has released six LPs along with several singles and EPs. Mount Pleasant is the suburb in Christchurch, New Zealand where Phillips was bought up, and began recording music with his sister from a young age but his first full-length produced under the name was Claw Friends released in 2008.

Mount Pleasant (band)

Phillips expanded Mount Pleasant with Amy Mitchell in early 2007 as a two piece "minimalist folk" band. This version of the band quickly split up, after Phillips began collaborating with Richard Marks, whose solo recording project With Moths was beginning at the same period, Dave Marshall and Darian Woods. This band's first shows were brief and fragile. Phillips continued recording slightly more structured material and releasing it on CD-R and cassette using the name Mount Pleasant. The band played a series of short shows, culminating in the 2008 A Low Hum festival and then breaking up after supporting Barcelona musician El Guincho.

Mount Pleasant (solo)

"Mount Pleasant" is the musical solo project of Phillips, although he has used the name to represent his music since he was a child. He had access to a cassette recorder, which he used to layer guitar and his own voice. Such recordings are used as source material and as textures in many of Phillips' songs.

There have been six full-length releases by Phillips as Mount Pleasant: Claw Friends and Horseshoe Lake in 2008, Rio Joy in 2009, The Flood in 2010, and The Cold War and The Aztecs in 2011. The lyrics are often autobiographical in nature, introspective and mixed quietly.

Other work

Phillips has played in other bands, including Canterbury Rams and Rhinoceros.

He directs and records music videos which he features on his blog, which also include short prose works.